City of Cerritos Website Policy and Privacy Statement

Updated
September 15, 2010

The City of Cerritos (the "City") recognizes the importance of protecting the privacy of the users of this website. The City's website is a fundamental communication tool for providing critical and informative City information and interactive services to its citizens. The goal of the City's website is to encourage user participation in City government, to enable electronic service delivery to the public, and to help create a better city.

The following information explains the City's policy regarding any information you may supply when visiting www.cerritos.us and affiliated pages that are part of the City's official website and any information that may be provided to the public by the City's official site.

Collection of Information

Through the City's website, the public has opportunities to share personal information on-line with the City in order to facilitate better correspondence and service. This information includes, but is not limited to, e-mail addresses, addresses, and other personal information. The City does not use its website to collect personal information for any purpose other than to respond to a user's request or input, or to complete an on-line transaction. The City does not create individual profiles with the information provided by users of this site.

Use of Information

The City's goal in collecting personal information on-line is to provide you with the most personalized and effective service possible. By understanding your needs and preferences, the City will be better able to provide you with improved service. For example, using e-mail addresses provided at registration or otherwise, users are giving the City permission to periodically send out e-mail updates on such topics including, but not limited to, city events, employment opportunities, and city government agendas for meetings.

If a user chooses to use the City's website's electronic-government capabilities to conduct business with the City, the information collected will only be that which is necessary to provide the information or services the user requests, just as a person might provide such information when visiting City Hall or another City office in person. The information collected is subject to the same controls and uses as that collected by City offices visited in person. You do not have to provide personal information to visit the City website or download information from the site.

Confidentiality of Information

The City will not disclose to the public personal information which the City receives on-line pursuant to Government Code § 6255, unless disclosure is otherwise required under federal or state law, including, but not limited to the California Public Records Act, or by court order or decree. The City understands that users of this website have an expectation that their personal information will remain private to the extent permissible by law.

The City will use best efforts to maintain the confidentiality of information it receives on-line to the same extent it is legally able to do so with respect to information obtained through other means. The City will not sell such personal information to third parties or private organizations.

The City also does not release any information about the collection of Internet Protocol addresses to any third party, unless disclosure is required by the California Public Records Act or by court order. The City's website archives web server log files in order to create aggregate statistical reports, detect errors, and for security reasons. Aggregate reports about website visitors are generated. The City will use best efforts not to have these reports contain any personally identifiable information. The web log files are eventually deleted.

Use of Cookies

The City site may use "cookies" to help you personalize your on-line experience. A cookie is a text file that is placed on your hard disk by a web page server. Cookies cannot be used to run programs or deliver viruses to your computer. Cookies are uniquely assigned to you, and can only be read by a web server in the domain that issued the cookie to you.

One of the primary purposes of cookies is to provide a convenience feature to save you time. The purpose of a cookie is to tell the web server that you have returned to a specific page. For example, if you personalize the City's pages, a cookie helps the City to recall your specific information on subsequent visits. This simplifies the process of recording your personal information.

You have the ability to accept or decline cookies. Most web browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can usually modify your browser setting to decline cookies if you prefer. If you choose to decline cookies, you may not fully be able to experience the interactive features of the City's services or websites you visit.

Use By Children

Some of the City services on-line are to provide educational information about the City; therefore, children, (aged 13 and under), are not restricted from visiting the City site. The City urges children only to give the City any information after getting permission from their parents or guardians.

Links to Other Websites

This site contains links to other sites. The links on the City's site are included as a convenience for the residents of the City. They are not expressly or impliedly an endorsement of any product, service, business or person. To avoid any perception that the City endorses or provides favorable treatment to any private person or business enterprise, no corporate or commercial logo or direct links to a vendor or commercial site are allowed with the exception of Cerritos based companies identified on the Shop Cerritos Website. It is the City's policy to limit external links to the following kinds of entities and organizations:

Organizations whose primary purpose is to promote businesses located within the City.

Other governmental agencies.

Museums, libraries, historical organizations and similar kinds of established, bona fide organizations that provide cultural resources to residents and visitors to the City.

Public and private, bona fide educational institutions as defined in Education Code § 210.1, or as described in Education Code § 66010(a) and (b), located within the City of Cerritos.

Entities and organizations whose primary purpose is to provide the location, telephone number and/or description of the City hotels, restaurants, tourist attractions and similar kinds of tourism information.

Entities and organizations whose primary purpose is to provide local, national, and international news.

Entities and organizations wishing to establish external links on the City's official website must submit a written (non-e-mailed) request to the City Manager's Office, which shall contain all information necessary to verify the facts stated and as may be necessary to establish the proposed link is in compliance with this policy. The City reserves the right to 1) deny an external link application as to any business or organization when it is determined, following review of a complete application, the entity or organization for which application is made does not meet the criteria set forth in this policy; 2) deny an external link application as to any business, organization or person which fails, in the City 's opinion, to provide all required information, or truthful information; 3) remove any external link if the nature of the business, organization or person to which the link relates no longer complies with the City's external link policy; or 4) to revise this policy without prior notice when to do so is deemed, by the City, to be in the best interests of the City.

Security

This site has security measures in place to protect against the loss, misuse and alteration of the information under the City's control. The City uses industry standard practices and precautions to handle communications and transactions through its website, including firewalls, secure servers and SSL.

Right to Request No Further E-Mail Information

Users may indicate they do not wish to receive e-mail information from the City. Upon written or e-mailed request, the City will use best efforts to remove users (and their information) from the City database or permit them to elect not to receive any further e-mail newsletters or contact.

Not to Be Used As Notice to City

Communications made through e-mail and messaging systems shall in no way be deemed to constitute legal notice to the City or any of its agencies, officers, employees, agents or representatives, with respect to any existing or potential claim or cause of action against the City or any of its agencies, officers, employees, agents, or representatives, where notice to the City is required by any federal, state or local laws, rules or regulations.

Validity of Provisions Herein

If one or more of the provisions contained in this policy are determined by a final decision of a court to be invalid, illegal, or unenforceable, then such determination shall not affect any other provision and the remaining terms and conditions set forth herein shall be construed as if the invalid, illegal, or unenforceable provision had never been included.

Contacting the Website

If you have any questions about this privacy statement, the practices of this site, or your dealings with this website, you can contact the webmanager at: (562) 916-1320.